Characters


Martine Allen: an 11 year-old girl who is very lonely at her grandmother’s house (her new home) but has a passion for animals. When she finds the white giraffe she finds a friend in Jemmy her loyal companion.



Gwyn Thomas: a very strict grandmother to Martine who misses her daughter Veronica (Martine’s mother) who died in a fire. She helps with the game reserve that her husband had owned before he died. 

Tendai: a worker on the game reserve who is very helpful, but he only believes the white giraffe is a legend. Though he does believe that Martine has a gift and that Alex is up to something. 



Grace: a wise, predictor who believes that Martine has a gift and knows her destiny. She tells Martine to use her gift wisely because she knows Jemmy could get into trouble. 



Alex: one of the poachers and a very good liar. He wants to catch the white giraffe and is willing to do anything to capture him. He threatens Martine because he knows she is up to something. He is a big bully. 



Ben: a quiet boy at school who gets bullied by the other kids. He saved Martine when she was getting bullied and chased but doesn’t seem like he wants to be her friend. He likes being alone. 



The White Giraffe: a brave loyal animal that is a legend that is true. He loves Martine and trusts that she will protect him. JG 


Martine-Martine is a dark-brown haired 13 year-old girl who moves to Africa to live with her grandmother due to a family tragedy. She gets bullied in school, and makes friends with a kid that no one likes, Ben. One time when she saw Ben getting bullied, she helped him. And in the end, Ben helps Martine save Jemmy, who she learns to love throughout this story.
She thinks that her grandma doesn’t want her at first, but she then learns that her grandma didn’t want her to move because that was the only way to save Martine. Grace told Martine that that she has special powers, and to use them wisely. Martine soon figures out what she means. Martine even risks her life for Jemmy sometimes. Martine takes a bunch of adventures with Jemmy, her beloved white giraffe, well, the only white giraffe. You’ll just have to read the book to out what they are! 

Tendai-Tendai is a loving man, who is a worker on Martine’s grandma’s game reserve and helps Martine get used to her new home. Tendai was the one to tell Martine the story of the white giraffe, which he’s not sure he believes in. He once followed tracks that looked like the white giraffe’s, but then they disappeared. Tendai is an animal expert; he knows almost everything just about almost every animal! 

Gwyn Thomas-Gwyn Thomas is a widowed grandmother, who is quite strict. Martine thinks that Gwyn doesn’t want her because of how she wrote the note to accept Martine, and because of how strict and kind of mean Gwyn is to her at first. But after a while, Gwyn starts to get better with Martine. Soon after that, Gwyn tells Martine that the only reason she was acting so strict and kind of mean was because that was the only way to save her. MMC

Setting

Game Reserve: A place where animals are treated well, given healthy food and places to live freely.AS
Secret Valley: The Sececret Valley is a place where the White Giraffe dwels in peace. There are carvings of a strange girl riding a white Giraffe all over the walls.there are secret caves and passage ways for easy escapes if poachers come.AS

South Africa: South Africa is a place full of trees and wild grass. There are wild animals roaming the grasses and a hot sun beats down in Afrcan people.AS

This story, The White Giraffe, takes place in South Africa on a game reserve. A game reserve is a place where animals can roam free and they aren't locked up in cages all day. MMC

Sawubona Game Reserve is where most of the main events in this story happen. As an example Martine meets the white giraffe (Jemmy) there. One morning when she goes out with Tendai she also saves a Kudu when Alex (the game warden at Sawubona) shoots him. Martine’s grandmother lives right outside the game reserve but doesn’t want Martine to go there. AV
Sawubona_Map.jpg
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/hlgunst/africa-2007/tpod.html


Problem

The problem in the story is that the White Giraffe is in danger of being killed by poachers or sold to someone who will use him badly. Can Martine stop the poachers before the White Giraffe is lost forever? AS